The declaration of war against Germany on 3 September 1939 brought an end to the second (and as yet, final) Golden Age of English cricket. Over 200 first-class English players signed up to fight in that first year; 52 never came back. In many ways, the summer of 1939 was the end of innocence. Using unpublished letters, diaries and memoirs, Christopher Sandford recreates that last summer, looking at men like George Macaulay, who took a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket but was struck down while serving with the RAF in 1940; Maurice Turnbull, the England all-rounder who fell during the Normandy landings; and Hedley Verity, who still holds cricketing records, but who died in the invasion of Sicily. Few English cricket teams began their first post-war season without holding memorial ceremonies for the men they had lost: The Final Innings pays homage not only to these men, but to the lost innocence, heroism and human endurance of the age.

About the Author
Christopher Sandford is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. He has written numerous biographies of music, film and sports stars, as well as Union Jack, a bestselling book on John F. Kennedy's special relationship with Great Britain described by the National Review as 'political history of a high order - the Kennedy book to beat'. Born and raised in England, Christopher currently lives in Seattle.

Reviews
The accomplished Sandford orders his material with sensitivity and relates his terrible tale with elegance and dignity. Yet such is the nature of the catastrophe of 1914 that the horror seeps through every page. It is a work of genuine significance.


Awards
Joint winner of the Cricket Society & MCC Book of the Year, 2020.



Book Information
ISBN 9780750994699
Author Christopher Sandford
Format Paperback
Imprint The History Press Ltd
Publisher The History Press Ltd